ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ

【35】

the weekend came faster than they expected, and yunho and mingi made plans with their friends to go shopping at the mall. it wasn't supposed to be a big deal—just something casual, a reason to get out of the house (eomma begged them to go out and do something rather than staying home the whole day playing games and watching t.v.) they surround themselves with familiar laughter and the smell of cheap food and too much perfume.

they met near the main entrance around noon. wooyoung showed up first, dramatically leaning against the wall like he was waiting for a rom-com scene to start. he was wearing glasses that covered half his face, a black long sleeve despite the sun, and a tote bag like he was on his way to get papped by vogue.

"you're not famous," san said as he approached, already rolling his eyes.

"yet," wooyoung replied, not missing a beat.

then came seonghwa, with perfectly styled hair and an iced coffee in hand and hongjoong right beside him both looking like they just stepped out of a pinterest board. yeosang right behind him in a black cardigan and headphones around his neck. jongho showed up looking like he'd rather be anywhere else with a baseball cap on, but his expression softened when he saw the others.

and then mingi and yunho came around the corner together—mingi in a hoodie, eyes still a little sleepy, and yunho walking close beside him, one hand brushing against mingi's wrist every so often, just enough to let him know he was there.

the first stop was a random accessory shop. mostly glittery junk and racks of sunglasses, but it was enough to keep them entertained. wooyoung immediately shoved a pair of heart-shaped lenses on mingi's face.

"behold: model," he declared.

mingi blinked, dazed. "i look like i'm going to a beach rave."

"exactly the vibe. now pout."

"don't encourage him," jongho said, pulling a his hat over his head and pretending not to smile.

seonghwa wandered over with a phone charm shaped like a bow. "do i need this?"

"no, you already have like million of them" san answered.

"so i'll get it," seonghwa said sweetly, already heading to the register.

they moved store to store with no real plan. tried on jackets they'd never buy, posed in front of mirrors like it was a fashion shoot, and loudly judged every overpriced candle they passed. yunho kept sneaking photos of mingi when he wasn't looking—little moments, like him laughing at something wooyoung said or scrunching his nose at a neon hoodie san tried to convince him to wear.

"caught you," mingi said at one point, turning to look right into yunho's camera.

yunho didn't flinch. "you looked really cute just now."

mingi blinked, cheeks going warm, and turned away with a soft, "shut up."

"was that a blush?" wooyoung gasped from a rack away.

"shut up," mingi repeated, dragging his hoodie over his head.

they ended up in the food court after almost hour of wandering. everyone was exhausted and slightly feral.